Infant&#39;s drinking cup



April 7, 1942- c. E. POTTER I 1 2,278,586

INFANTS-DRINKING'CUP Filed May 10, 1940 Z a/AY/ ism Patented Apr. 7, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE INFANTS DRINKING CUP Charles E. Potter, Richmond Heights, Mo.

Application May 10, 1940, Serial No. 334,324

2 Claims.

This invention relates to an infants drinking cup.

An object of this invention is to provide a drinking cup for infants to give a measured quantity of liquid and no more, which the infant can drink at any one time. This object will be fully understood from the following detail description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 is a, top plan view of a drinking cup embodying this invention;

Fig. 2 is an elevation; and

Fig. 3 is a vertical section on line 33, Fig. l.

The device as specifically illustrated includes a cup or container I of more or less conventional form and an inserted measuring device or shell 2. The measuring device 2 includes a bowl 3 having integrally a depending tube or reduced tubular portion 4, extending toward the bottom of the cup I. The shell 2 is inserted in the cup making a tight connection about the rim of the cup. As specifically shown this is accomplished by a gasket 5 inserted underneath and held by the turned edge or periperal flange 6 of the bowl 3.

The measuring device 2 is held in position, with the upper edge of the cup I in engagement against the gasket 5, by means of a threaded lug I in engagement with a threaded aperture through a bottom wall 8 of the tubular portion 4. The lug 1 is secured to the bottom of the container, centrally thereof.

A port 3 through the bottom wall 8 and a vent II] in the bowl 3 permits the tubular portion 4 to fill gradually with liquid from the cup I.

The function and purpose of the device may now be fully understood. Some infants have the bad habit of drinking too fast, even to the extent of emptying a cup almost at one gulp. In the device illustrated and described, the cup I may be completely filled but the inf-ant can obtain only a measured quantity of the liquid at one time. The cup I is filled with a liquid and the measuring device inserted in place. 7 Then the tubular portion 4 will fill to the level of the liquid in the cup I. The infant can drink from the bowl 3 in the same manner as from any cup, but can obtain at one time only the measured amount which has filled the tubular portion to the level of the liquid outside the measuring device. The cup must be set down before the tube 2 will fill again for a second drink.

It will be obvious that means other than those specifically shown may be used for securing the tight connection between the top of the cup and the bowl. Various changes may be made in the details of construction, within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of this invention.

I claim:

1. An inf-ants drinking cup including an outer cup container, a measuring shell in the cup having integrally a bowl portion with a peripheral flange overhanging the rim of the container and a reduced depending tubular portion extending toward the bottom of the container with a port at the bottom thereof, a gasket held by said flange and sealing a. connection between the flange and the rim of the container, a vent for the space between the container and the shell and a lug on the bottom of the container in threaded engagement with the bottom of said tubular portion.

2. An infants drinking cup including an outer cup container and a measuring shell in the cup having integrally, a bowl portion with a peripheral flange overhanging the rim of the container and a reduced depending tubular portion extending toward the bottom of the container with a port at the bottom thereof, said container and shell being in threaded engagement whereby the flange is brought into sealing engagement with the rim and a vent for the space between the container and the shell.

CHARLES E. POTTER. 

